What food did I miss most after becoming lactose intolerant? Mac & cheese!! Growing up, I ate macaroni and cheese at least three days a week. Fortunately, my husband created this insanely delicious recipe for Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese that satisfies my cravings!
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese Recipe
I’ve tried various dairy and lactose free recipes throughout the years, but most of them just weren’t tasty. At all.
In fact, I pretty much gave up on being able to have my once-favorite food, and settled into a life devoid of mac-n-cheese. Sad face 🙁
Until now.
While on an airplane a while back, I read an article which featured a spicy and smoky vegan mac-n-cheese recipe made with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes? Mind blown!
Of course as soon as I got home I gave my husband (the chef of the family) instructions to create his own version of sweet potato mac & cheese. (Minus the smoke and the spicy-ness so the kiddos could enjoy it too.)
My husband suggested adding a little bit of bacon, because everything is better with bacon right?
I went back and forth on it —should I stick with vegan or go with bacon…mmmm, bacon. So it was settled — bacon it is!
Note: you can definitely leave out the bacon and use a butter substitute for a vegan dish.
The finished product was not only good, it was out of this world! Rich, creamy, and bacon-y…it tasted like there was NO way it could be good for you. However, this sweet potato mac & cheese is gluten-free, lactose-free, and each helping contains about two servings of veggies.
SO much better for you than the “real thing!” In moderation of course…don’t forget about the bacon! 🙂
PS – You might also like our gluten free baked ziti recipe too!
Healthy Sweet Potato Mac-N-Cheese Ingredients:
- 1 box gluten-free pasta elbows (we had quinoa pasta on hand, but brown rice pasta would work well too)
- 1 large sweet potato (use two if your potatoes are on the smaller side)
- 1 package (7oz) of shredded cheddar “veggie” cheese (soy-based cheese)*
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup butter (technically, this counts as dairy, but it’s safe for lactose intolerant peeps like me)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped (we like a lot, but you can use as much or as little as you please)
- juice of half a lemon
*Note: Always read labels — some products marketed as dairy-free do contain casein, a milk derivative which is ok if you’re lactose intolerant, but might be not be ideal for those with dairy allergies.
Free printable copy of this recipe available at bottom of post.
Keep reading for photo step-by-step instructions or click here to skip to printable recipe.
How to Make Gluten Free & Dairy Free Mac and Cheese (with Sweet Potatoes)
Prepare pasta according to directions on package.
Cook bacon and set aside.
Bake sweet potato (or microwave) until soft. Remove skin and add potato to Mixing Bowl
(these ones have rubber bottoms so they won’t slip!) Mash well.
Roast sliced mushrooms for 10 minutes at 350° with a little salt and oil of your choice. Add to mixing bowl with sweet potatoes.
Add cheese, butter, onion powder, almond milk, lemon juice, and 1 cup of the water in which the pasta was cooked. Mix well. (We used a stand mixer on low.)
Add pasta to mixing bowl and stir by hand until well combined.
Pour entire mixture into large Baking Dish
. Coat with chopped bacon and green onions. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes.
This Sweet Potato Mac-N-Cheese is soooo good, it’s addicting! I definitely don’t feel like I’m missing out anymore!
Grab your free printable copy of this healthy Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese recipe:
Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten-free pasta elbows
- 1 large sweet potato or 2 medium
- 7 ounces shredded cheddar cheese we used "veggie" cheese
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to directions on package.
- Cook bacon and set aside.
- Bake sweet potato (or microwave) until soft. Remove skin and add potato to mixing bowl. Mash well.
- Roast sliced mushrooms for 10 minutes at 350° with a little salt and oil of your choice. Add to mixing bowl with sweet potatoes.
- Add cheese, butter, onion powder, almond milk, lemon juice, and 1 cup of the water in which the pasta was cooked. Mix well using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
- Add pasta to mixing bowl and stir by hand until well combined.
- Pour entire mixture into large Baking Dish. Coat with chopped bacon and green onions. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
More of our favorite healthy sweet potato recipes:
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p style=”text-align: center;”>Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust — yes, PIZZA!! (It’s also gluten free and dairy free!)
Baked Sweet Potato Donuts with Apple Pie Topping (Gluten Free)
Pin this Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese on Pinterest:
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preggomyeggo says
Thabk you for posting this. I’ve had to cut out dairy and gluten so im always looking for recipes
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Me too! One of my hobbies is looking for ideas to give hubby so he can create recipes I can eat without feeling crappy. And trying the results…haha
bcbonusmom says
Reblogged this on A Day In The Life of A BCBonusMom ……….. and commented:
My tummy is grumbling and this looks AMAZING!
Sargento says
Wow! Yummy and delicious sweet potato mac and cheese. This makes me hungry 😀
Danielle says
What brand cheese do you like to use?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
We’ve been loving Daiya dairy free cheese – it melts well and tastes delicious!